First Try, Second Chance
by ZarkrontheConquerer
Summary: The story of an American girl trying to find herself after being transferred to Hogwarts.I suck at summaries but the storys way better so please RnR.
1. The Girl on The Train

First Try, Second Chance

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter it is copyright to J.K. Rowling etc etc

A/N: This story is set 10 years after Harry and co leave Hogwarts and to make it easy the only people I'm assuming have died since book 5 are Voldemort and Dumbledore but its mostly new characters anyways

            Liana Lachelt winced as she always did when slipping through the magical barrier onto platform 9 ¾.  It was really just a reflex but even after 4 years she hadn't gotten over the fear of hitting the wall and totally embarrassing herself.  Upon opening her grey-blue eyes, Liana couldn't help smiling at the bustle of Hogwarts students and parents in front of her. Everywhere there was something strange and exciting from an oversized poodle that randomly changed colors scampering around to the familiar clouds of purple smoke streaming from the scarlet train's engine.

            She moved her trolley away from the barrier because another bunch of people started moving in and she giggled at the shocked eyes of who were obviously Muggle born first years.  Once she had rolled her trolley down the stack of trunks being loaded onto the baggage carts and waved goodbye to her tawny owl Dom, Liana tried to see over the throngs of people for one particular face.  Liana wasn't tall and she had to strain on her tippy toes to get a decent view of the tops of people's heads.  She saw a bunch of her friends and year mates in Ravenclaw but not the person she was looking for.  Finally the answer literally hit her out of the blue.

            "Lee!!" Something tall, red and blue smacked into Liana and all her breath left her in one large puff.  If she could have, Liana would have laughed out loud because she knew in an instant that it was Angel.  She coughed violently but returned the giant hug from her best friend.  When she could breathe again she straightened up and had a good look at her friend.  Since she had last seen Angel around the end of July it seemed that she had grown yet AGAIN even though she already had several inches on Liana.  Two weeks in the Canary Islands had given her a nice tan but couldn't hide the multitude of tiny freckles dotted all over her cheeks and nose.  Angels flaming red hair was done up in a ponytail as always but it seemed lighter than before, no doubt bleached a little by all the sun.

            "Hey, you look good girl!  The islands agreed with you!" Liana voiced her opinions.

            "Thanks, I see that hours of gardening didn't agree with you quite as much" Angel joked back.

            Liana cringed but smiled at the memory of her callused hands and dirty knees.  Liana had spent much of the summer growing her own garden, at the request of her mother, but however hard and dirty it was Liana got a sense of self satisfaction from it.  Her mother had promised to maintain it through the year but she would still miss it, "Thanks, that reminds me I brought you some veggies but they're in my trunk so you'll have to wait.  Let's get on the train so we can get good seats!" The two girls scampered onto the train because both they're sets of parents had left before and they started peeking into cabins for seats.  It felt good to be back on the train, with the knowledge that soon they would return to Hogwarts.  They came to several compartments to find seats but most were full by the time they got there.  The two girls greeted some new first years, said hello to friends, and avoided their enemies but they still hadn't found seats by the time the train had left.  For some reason a girl in one compartment attracted Liana's attention more than normal.  It was full of first years that were noticeable by the lack of house coloring on their robes except for the one girl who was obviously at least 14.  But she also had no identifying colors on her robes.  It wasn't common that many people transferred schools but Liana assumed that this was the case.  The girl seemed fairly average except for her hair which was a brilliant bubble gum pink with sky blue streaks.  She was staring out into the now grey sky that was beginning to spill rain onto the earth.  On her lap was a large and extremely fluffy white cat with large black spots that the girl was petting almost anxiously.  That was all Liana was able to see before Angel pulled her back out and waved her over to another compartment.

            "Evan, Craig, and Sareeka are in here!" Angel poked her head into the compartment then slipped in with Liana following.  Inside were their year mates and friends and they settled in happily.  Evan was a tall boy with dark hair and eyes and bushy eyebrows that Angel often made fun of, Craig was half Irish and the accent randomly resurfaced but he was rather good looking with his blonde hair and green eyes, Sareeka was an Indian girl with a strange sense of humour.  Liana forgot all about the pink haired girl as they all traded stories about summer and went off to change into their robes.  Sareeka was just finishing off a story about elves and poutine when the food trolley came by.  Liana took the opportunity to buy tons of sugar quills (they were her favourite) and Angel stocked up on Chocolate Frogs because she collected the cards like a maniac.

            "Ish getting cold in herw" Evan spurted through a mouthful of Cauldron cakes.  He pointed outside to the now iron grey clouds roiling about them spurting large fat drops of rain onto the windows.  Liana started scolding him about talking with his mouthful but stopped when everybody burst into laughter at his indignant expression.

            "I think we're almost there, I can see Hogsmeade from here through the rain." Craig was apparently right because at that instant they could feel the train beginning to brake into the stop outside of Hogwarts.

            "Uggg I hate the rain" Sareeka muttered and Liana agreed.

            "I don't mind it" Angel shrugged.

            Liana could help pointing out "Yeah well you have to, you're on the Quidditch team.  Angel laughed and went back to stuffing her Chocolate Frogs into her bag.  When the train ground to a final stop they all peered outside for the carriages before leaping outside into the cold and running for the nearby ones.  Liana caught a glimpse of pink hair just before she jumped into the carriage after Craig.  The mud everywhere made the carriage ride nice and smooth and it was somewhat soothing to listen to the banter of rain, punctured with the boy's complaints about being hungry.

            "Geez the feast is going to be soon enough hold your horses" Angel punched Craig on the arm lightly but it didn't stop his out loud thoughts on mashed potatoes.  Finally they reached the immense castle doors and ran to the entrance hall as fast as they could.  Everywhere Liana looked she saw something that brought back a swarm of memories and she knew that this year would bring even more.  She couldn't help skipping in delight to the Great Hall.

            Liana and her friends sat down at the Ravenclaw table around the middle and talked while waiting for the Headmistress to arrive. 

            "Lots of butter, that's the best way to have them" Craig was still ranting about mashed potatoes and apparently now was having a deep conversation with Evan about them.  Liana rolled her eyes and watched the ghosts float around above them and giggled whenever they became strangely illuminated by a group of drifting candles. Finally Headmistress Francis appeared.  She was a middle aged woman who was rather stern but a fair person and a powerful witch.

            "Welcome to Hogwarts first years and welcome back all others" Her voice was deep and melodic and it seemed to have the power to hush everyone, "I'm sure you've all had wonderful summers and I hope the train ride was fine.  I'm also quite sure that you are all starting to get hungry as well so I will cut right to the chase."

            As she began to rattle off the key rules Liana's eyes wandered, she had heard these 4 times now.  She smiled at the huddling group of small first years that were now walking in behind Professor Knight.  She noticed that the pink haired girl was trailing behind them sullenly, and she looked a mixture of annoyed, stunned, and embarrassed.

            "-Now may we please begin with the Sorting." Francis finished and brought out the Sorting Hat.  It sang its song as usual, nothing out of the ordinary and Professor Knight began calling up first years.

            "Millie Anderson!"

            "Hufflepuff!"

            "Patrick Ayers!"

            "Slytherin!"

            And so it went on.  Liana applauded the Ravenclaws and smiled warmly at a few of them who sat near them.  Finally the last boy scampered over to Hufflepuff and everyone looked back up at Francis.

            "Kira McTavish!"  Professor Knight called out, "As a new 4th year you must be sorted as well!" The pink haired girl stepped away from the wall where she had been lurking and walked up to the Sorting Hat.  The Great Hall was full of whispers and murmurs but everyone was silent as the Hat seemed to be making its decision.

            "I wonder where she's from" Came Angels voice at her left.

            "Dunno, maybe France it's closest I guess."

            "I wonder why she's here; I suppose she's in our year…"

            Liana opened her mouth to respond but the Hat interrupted her with a shout of-

            "Ravenclaw!"  There was no applause though as the girl took the old Hat off her head and walked briskly over the Ravenclaw table.  Liana managed to see her face as she rushed past to the end of the table, it was covered in silent tears.

            "Well then, let's eat!" Francis's voice jolted Liana from her reverie and she could dimly hear Craig and Evans shouts of joy as the masses of food appeared in front of them.  She turned back to her golden plate and began piling food on in large amounts.  As soon as Liana started eating, she found that she was indeed very hungry and for a while nobody really spoke because they were stuffing their faces.  Liana used the excuse of pouring her pumpkin juice to try and see the girl but there were too many people.

            After several rounds of food, drinks and desserts everyone in the Great Hall sat content and full of food, waiting to be dismissed to their dormitories after a long day.  Finally Francis waved them all off with one of her rare smiles and everyone thronged towards the doors.  Liana and the other Ravenclaws waited until the first years came with the prefects and followed them up the stairs to the second floor.  The warm hallways were bright and welcoming and they felt the exhaustion of the day slipping into their bones.  They all stopped at a small portrait of a group of owls flying in the sky.

            "Golden Snidget" The prefect in front of them said.  Gasps rose from the first years as the owls all hooted happily and flew to the bottom of the frame to pull up what looked like a large sheet with a painting of a torch lit staircase on it.  But when it filled the whole picture frame the portrait enlarged and it became a full fledged staircase.  The 4th years all slipped past as the prefect began explaining about the password and they trudged up the stairs to emerge in the Ravenclaw Common Room.  It was a tall room with a dark paneled ceiling decorated with gold stars.  Providing light were large bright bronze lanterns that drifted in the air much like the candles in the great hall and a roaring fire in the large dark blue stone fireplace gave a steady warmth.  There were tables and large comfy chairs covered in rich blue velvet scattered around the room.  At both ends were spiraling staircases that led up to the dormitories.  Each level of the dormitories could be seen by the small balconies that looked out onto the common room from above.  Liana, Angel, and Sareeka muttered their goodnights to the boys and then headed up the stairs to their room.  There were already a few other girls inside and they said hi and talked a little about summer but soon sleep claimed each one.  Liana slid into her large four poster bed and arranged her pillows just so.  She snuggled under the thick blue covers and noticed just for a fleeting second, the pink haired girl slip in as she pulled the blue velvet curtains shut.  She was just too tired to even think any more about it though.

A/N: Ok well there you go.  I know this sorta seems like a bit of a generic HP fic right now and I guess it is but it does have some differences.  I wanted to focus it on the Ravenclaws because it's my fave house and I've come up with a few things you guys will see later.  Just so you know Sareeka is basically me in the fic because my parents almost named me Sareeka and I like the name so I made up a character for it.  Other than that I base things off my friends, and things.  Anyways I want three reviews before I do the next chapter so pleeease review!


	2. Hologram Charms

First Try, Second Chance

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter blah blah you know the deal

            "Angel wake up!" Something was battering her head and making her ears pound.

            "Leave me alone, I wanna sleep!" She protested feebley and waved her arms around trying to smack Liana, who responded by pulling back her covers and exposing Angel's bunny patterned pjs.  The sudden loss of warmth caused Liana to open her green eyes onto Liana peering over her.

            "AAAHHH!!!  Don't scare me like that!" Angel jumped, or did the equivalent of a jump on her bed and ended up half falling over the side.

            "Yeah I think I will, you're up now and it was fun.  Get dressed!"  Liana shoved Angels robes at her and went away to do something.  Angel mumbled about not being a morning person but pulled on her clothes.  Rolling out of bed, she used the nearest post to pull herself into standing position.  Still tottering she went to the dormitory bathroom where she saw Sareeka also looking half dead trying to pull a brush through her short dark hair.  Only Liana really had any normal amount of energy she was wandering around passing girls things they were too tired to get themselves.  Once Angel had washed her face, pulled her hair back, and put some food in the bowl for her bunny named Hamster she headed towards the door with Liana, Sareeka, and Elayne Hoover.  Just as they reached the bottom of the staircase though Liana hesitated.

            "Um I'll be right back I forgot my Charms book" She ducked back up the stairs before Angel could protest but Sareeka pulled her down the last few steps and across the common room.  She didn't protest the extra help moving though.  About halfway down to the common room they met up with an equally tired Evan and a freakishly Liana like awake Craig.

            "Ahhhh" he gloated at them while stretching his arms lazily "That was a wonderful nights sleep wasn't it?  I feel soooooo rested and alive! I could just run-OW!" His sentence ended in a swift smack from Elayne followed by sleepy cheers from the others.

            The half alive mood seemed to be true for most people in the Great Hall as well, but of course there were the occasional morning people like Liana and Craig.  Angel was attempting to lift her fork of eggs to her mouth and not run over and murder the batch of annoying giggling Gryffindors.  The Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws hated each other, it was simple as that.

            "Why can't they just shut up for once, being that annoying should be a sin" Liana's voice startled her as the short blonde girl slid into the seat next to her brandishing the Charms book, "I picked up our timetables, it turns out we have Charms first anyways!"

            You know what else should be a sin?" Evan mumbled through some toast.

            "Will you ever listen to me when I tell you to not eat with your mouth closed?"

            "What are you my mother?"

            "Apparently I have to be.  Now what were you saying?"

            Evan was careful to swallow first "I was going to say cheeriness in the morning should be a sin but I think I'll change that to incessant mothering."

            Liana laughed and then threw an orange rind at his head "Would your mother do that?" But Evan didn't get a chance to retort because everyone just burst out laughing.  As they shoveled food down their throats energy began to return to their limbs and brains.  By the time the loud chime rang out clearly through the air for classes to start they were reasonably awake by the time they entered the Charms classroom.  Professor Flitwick welcomed them warmly from behind the desk that he barely peeked over.  They were all settled and awaiting their instructions from Flitwick when there was a loud knocking at the door.  Nick Graham opened it tentatively and jumped back when he opened it to reveal the pink haired girl; Kira, Angel thought her name was.

            "Sorry I'm late I only woke up a little while ago" She said it somewhat loudly and defiantly and Angel noticed that she spoke with the strange accent of what sounded like an American.  The girl sat down near the back, away from everyone but Angel could swear she gave Liana a glance.  Putting it from her mind she concentrated on the Hologram Charm that Flitwick was teaching them.  The object was to create an image that you controlled with your mind on your wand.  It was difficult and most people couldn't create more than a wisp of what looked like colored fog.

            "Hollus!" Liana was chanting resolutely and getting the best results of all of them, hers being a small white ball that lasted a few seconds.  Angel looked around to see how the others were doing and noticed that nobody was doing any better than her.  Evan was constantly producing jets of black flame, Elayne was trying to stop large bubbles coming out of her wand and everyone else just got bits of fog like her.

            "Hollus!" Angel flicked her wand like she was supposed to and watched the intensely blue spurt of fog flicker and die.  And by the end of the class nobody had gotten any better although Evan had progressed from fire to smoke.

            "It's fine its fine it is a very complex charm and most people don't get it the first time and you all have done well.  But practise for next class" Flitwick squeeked.

            Herbology didn't go much better, they were trimming the buds off Barking Begonias and Professor Knight didn't warn them to wear their gloves.  Everybody had bites by the end of class.  In fact most of the day was a disaster which their teachers blamed on a long summer of no studying.  The only thing they managed to scrape by was fighting off Redcaps in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

            "Aren't we supposed to be smart when we're in Ravenclaw?" Craig wondered aloud.

            "Well then maybe we should be glad that we didn't have to watch the Hufflepuffs in Charms." Liana pointed out a row of Hufflepuffs with singed faces and robes.  The Hufflepuffs were their friends, but they were also generally on good terms with the Gryffindors.  Angel had decided it was after all in their nature to be fair and nice and all that jazz.

            After lunch they had as always a rather subdued History of Magic Class and everyone (even Liana) slowed to a stupor over a long double period about the history of the Society of the Reformation of Hags.  Once supper rolled around they were all relieved to have only Hologram Charms and a page summary of Barking Begonias for homework.  About halfway through dessert Hunter Gilmore, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, came over to talk to Angel.

            "Angel you have to come to the new beater tryouts on Friday now that we lost Kristina and Dennis." It wasn't really a request, it was an order.

            "Yeah yeah I'll be there as long as I don't have too much homework and even then I can get Liana to do it."

            "Hey!  You have the whole weekend!"

            "Yeah but you still get it done faster."

            "And we're going to have practice!" Hunter piped up, "I want to get the Cup back from the Gryffindors this year!

            "You bet, let's put them through their paces this year!"

            "That's the spirit I want" Hunter nodded and then flitted away to find the other team members.

            Liana laughed loudly "He's crazy you know that right?"

            "Of course I do" she said matter of factly, "Remember last year when he insisted we do four laps around the school chasing birds every practice"

            " Ah that was great you were so tired you couldn't make fun of me for once!" Evan cut in.

            Angel snorted "Yeah well too bad for you the teachers noticed when Michael Coltrane fell down the stairs while he was asleep and didn't notice.  Evan started mumbling about little idiots and pilled more cake onto his plate.

            Nighttime found everyone in the common room practicing the Hologram Charms in the common room.  With Liana's help they had all gotten to the white ball stage and Liana, Sareeka, and Craig could change the color of theirs.  Everyone retired to their dormitories early after a long day and the prospect of more ahead.

            Angel was yawning loudly by the time she had undressed and snuggled into bed next to Hamster and fell asleep almost instantly.

            It was sometime in the small hours of the morning that Angel woke up.  There was some sort of strange light dancing over her face through the crack in her blue curtains.  Sleepily she sat up and rubbed her eyes.  Angel slid her hand through the crack and slowly drew the curtain back.  She was surprised and awed by what she saw.  Lying on her bed next to her was Kira still fully dressed and apparently fully awake staring intently at her wand that she was holding point up.  The shimmering light was coming from a shining long stemmed rose with petals of a deep sky blue growing from her wand.  Angel recognized it as a Hologram Charm but the full extent of it was almost shocking.  She had the details down to the curl of each petal and the small but potent thorns on the stem.  There were two leaves spreading like little wings from the stem and small dewdrops glittered in the light of the hologram.

            "That's beautiful!" Angel said before she could stop herself.  The girl's concentration was immediately broken and the rose disappeared leaving them both in darkness.  She mumbled something but Angel couldn't hear it, "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you…goodnight I guess"

            "Um yeah whatever night."  The girl replied and Angel heard the familiar click of closing curtains.  Just as she was drifting back to sleep she though, why didn't she do that in class?

A/N: Ok well yeah I don't really have much to say about this one except you will see more of Kira eventually considering she is the main character.  I did come up with the Hologram Charm thing myself so I'm proud of that and that's all I can think of to say right now. REVIEW!!


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